Members Monday: lhsblack

Welcome back to your regularly scheduled Members Monday! This week our featured EtsyWMI member is Kara from lhsblack. 

     

Tell us a bit about yourself and your shop.
I am a mother of two young boys and I have managed to stay at home with them to raise them. Since the birth of my first son, I quit my job as an elementary music teacher and just worked a couple evenings part time as an early childhood music teacher. I still teach these classes, though now that my kids are both in school full time I have been trying to teach more during the day and less in the evenings. I started a shop on Etsy two years ago and thought it would be an excellent way to express my creativity in my jewelry making AND make a little money to help support my addiction and possibly bring a little help to our family financially. Jewelry is a very competitive genre on Etsy and it was very hard to get noticed and become successful. I had another little addiction of collecting stones every time I went to the beach and I had an extensive collection. I started making jewelry with beach stones in them and them I decided to offer the drilled stones to the Etsy community. I started my beach stones supply shop one year ago, and I LOVE it!!! I get to beach comb, get creative with how I put my listings together, and make a little money doing it.

What are you currently working on?
I am excited about warmer weather because I will be heading back to the beaches to restock. I am currently trying to list three new things per day and fill up my categories that are empty right now such as connectors and earring pairs.

What do you like to do in your free time outside of your business?
In my free time, I enjoy being outside with my family, cookouts with our friends, and bonfires. In the summer we are at the beach a lot swimming (and looking for stones), boating, and fishing (we don't enjoy fishing, but our kids do). I have a horse and I enjoy going out on trail rides with some of my friends from the barn.

Where would you like to see your shop and business in a year?
In a year, I would like to see my shop consistently stocked at about 100-120 listings, and have a solid customer base. Everyone has been very happy with their stones, and I am steadily growing my repeat customers.

Where can we find you online and/or locally? 
You can also check out my jewelry at 1000 Markets, www.elysiumjewelry.1000markets.com.

          

Calling All EtsyWMI Members

It's been two weeks since the last Members Monday post and here we are at another Monday. Obviously this isn't your typical Members Monday post. I really enjoy posting and learning about our members every week, but have run into some complications so to speak. Primarily non-responses which leave me strapped for people at the last minute (eek!). Instead of using random.org from a full list of our EtsyWMI team members, I'd love to start a list of people who would be interested in participating in Members Monday. If this is you, convo me here.

On another note, I'd love to hear suggestions for the blog and the type of things that you, the reader, would like to see. How often would you like to see posts? Do you like regular features or one-time topics more? If you're an EtsyWMI teammate that would like to contribute go ahead and convo me using the link above. Thanks for your input ahead of time!

Members Monday: SewManyFreckles

The first Monday of April belongs to our new featured seller, Amanda from SewManyFreckles!

     

Tell us a bit about yourself and your shop.
I am 23, married to a wonderful husband who loves the fact that I sew, and we have a crazy 8 mo old puppy named Pickle. I learned how to sew about 12 years ago and became an avid quilter. About two years ago I was in school for interior design and was taking a sewing class. Since I could practically teach the class myself, I decided to take on a challenge by making my little sister a flower girl dress for our upcoming wedding. After that, I started making some very simple children's clothing items like sun dresses. I decided that I wanted to try my hand at some craft shows with a friend of mine and got crazy making more kids items. This is also when Freckles came into the making. The main items that I was comfortable with were appliqued shirts, etc. The applique was just like the things I did in my quilts so it was an easy transition. I sold items at a few craft shows, but the shows didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. In the last six months, I've decided to step away from the applique as my main interest and I have started working on dresses, skirts, etc. I have now included "baby" in my business name in order to better represent my items. Freckles and Freckles Baby, are one in the same - a childresn's boutique. I am making anything from custom appliqued items to burp cloths to dresses and hair clips.

What are you currently working on?
This month I am very excited! I have just purchased the fabric for my upcoming 4th of July items. I will be making halter dresses, peasant shirts, hair clips and neckties for the upcoming holiday! I hope to have samples ready for pre-orders very soon. I am also working on an addition to my blog that will show all of my available items with sizes and prices.

What do you like to do in your free time outside of your business?
I sew on a daily basis and I haven't been quilting much since I started my business. With that in mind I would say that in my free time, I like to spend time with my husband and my puppy. My husband and I like to watch movies, and visit with friends. Our puppy also keeps us very busy!

Where would you like to see your shop and business in a year?
In a year, I would love to see my business supporting itself. I currently work full time in addition to Freckles. I am hoping that within a year my husband will have a teaching job and then I won't have to work full time. I don't plan to make millions - just enough to come out ahead. I love that I am able to sew and make things for others while still making some money. I am also looking forward to adding bags, jackets, and more items for boys.

Where can we find you online and/or locally? 
You can find Freckles online in the following locations:

• My Etsy Shop
• My Blog - SewnByFreckles
• Freckles Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter @Frecklesbaby

I will also be at some local craft shows. You can find updated information for times and locations on my blog.

Thanks so much, Amanda! I loved learning about how your business started and am excited to see where it goes in the future.